I’m told your sense of smell is linked more closely with your memory than any other sense, and I’ve never wished that that wasn’t true more than I do right now. I’m sitting backstage in Yokohama, Japan, listening to the muted sounds of the opening band finish their set before we go on, and my … [ Read more]

Editor’s Note: Mario Serra is the director of sales and marketing for PakTech. This Op-Ed was written and submitted in direct response to an article published in our April issue—“Craft Beer’s Plastic Problem,” by Matt Privratsky. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. Plastics and plastic packaging are an integral and important … [ Read more]

When I was 10 years old, I stumbled into my most prized possession. It was a wallet that belonged to my grandfather. I was young enough when he passed away that I had no memory of him, just some photos of me sitting on his lap, and now this wallet. After dutifully serving me for years … [ Read more]

Last year, we shared our picks for five Minnesota comedians on the cusp of doing big things both locally and nationally. Not to give ourselves too much credit, but we sort of nailed it. From Chloe Radcliffe being selected to perform at Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco “Comics to Watch” showcase during the New York Comedy Festival, … [ Read more]

The City of St. Paul is close to finalizing a development plan for the long-vacant, 135-acre site of the former Ford Assembly Plant in Highland Park. But not everyone is on board with the vision that the City has proposed. We asked a supporter and an opponent to make their argument for why they think … [ Read more]

Taylor Ridderbusch is the Great Lakes organizer for Trout Unlimited, which has 160,000 national members, including 36,000 in states bordering the Great Lakes. Ridderbusch is a lifelong resident of Wisconsin. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. As anglers, and as sportsmen and women, there is always a mood of excitement that … [ Read more]

The decades-old ban on Sunday liquor sales in Minnesota is back up for discussion at the State Capitol. Attempts in recent years to lift the ban have proven unsuccessful, though some restrictions have loosened, such as a 2015 provision allowing breweries to sell growlers on Sundays. There are competing interests on both sides of the … [ Read more]

I am familiar with mansplaining. I am a woman and haven’t spent thirty-something years living under a rock. But I have never experienced the phenomenon with such frequency until I started working in the craft brew industry. I’ve bought homes, spent a decade in academia, and a summer working landscaping gigs on construction sites, and … [ Read more]

Editor’s Note: Jim Watkins is the co-owner of Sociable Cider Werks in Northeast Minneapolis. Unless otherwise noted, facts here reflect his own work and research. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. It seems my newsfeeds of late have been packed full of claims that Minnesota craft beer is a bubble … [ Read more]

Let’s just put it out there: There’s a lot of bad beer being made these days. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of good beer as well—even some great beer. The rapid expansion of small breweries has brought with it a new breed of innovative brewers cranking out finely tuned beers of all shapes … [ Read more]

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Michele Tuchner, the director of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, in response to our recent article about home distilling, Modern Moonshining. To the editor, Even though the recent article “Modern Moonshining” (The Growler, Issue 25, November 2015) mentions that homemade distillery operations … [ Read more]